Work in Radio

Brett Harris

Presenter

Gaydio

I’m Brett and I present the weekday drivetime show on Gaydio.

When I'm not on air, I head up the Content Solutions team – the creative hub responsible for delivering commercial activity across our output. 

I’ve always loved ‘the biz’ – growing up I knew I wanted to work in radio as it connects to an audience unlike any other medium. Everyone in radio works as part of a wider ecosystem and more often than not, the ‘off air’ roles play the biggest part in bringing concepts to life. 

My tips...

• Be curious, be inquisitive… I want everything I work on to be next level, every time and the only way I can do that is by being on top of my game – I make creativity my passion, which sometimes means I have to upskill in my own time, but I reap the rewards professionally.

• Understanding the trends… Radio is an evolving beast and commercial spenders are always looking to find unique ways to tell their story and increase brand conversion. Be multi-platform! Gen Zs are changing the way the world works – this is the future, so it pays to look out for emerging media trends… embrace them and look forwards to exploit them for a client brief.

• Don’t be afraid to say “no”… the commercial radio industry is fast-paced and demanding, and that's great, but learning when to push back is also important. Communicating realistic deadlines and setting expectations allows you and your colleagues to sing from the same hymn sheet and produce consistent, engaging and high-quality work.

• Personal Brand… who do you want to be known as in the workplace? A great development coach from my time working at Global taught me the importance of a personal brand and although we all live our lives at such a fast pace now, it’s important to take time to look back and reflect – could I have communicated more efficiently, have I prioritised my team, do my team trust me?

If I can go back in time...

I'd tell myself radio is a really fun industry to work in.

There are so many roles out there it’s hard to pick the right one. Don’t be scared to look at some of the broader roles within the industry. I know I’ve created my best work by being part of a commercial team, and more often than not it's lead me to produce really engaging content that makes a difference.

Networking is key too, so if you have any questions or you feel intimidated by a role – don’t be! I once feared the word ‘commercial’ and now I thrive in it.